


Friends by the Fire

by PoptartCandy



Series: Thedas Tales: Inquisitor Trevelyan [3]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Banter, Friendship, Multi, One Shot Collection, Random Encounters, Writing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-18 20:49:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28873368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoptartCandy/pseuds/PoptartCandy
Summary: Sometimes traveling, fighting and saving the world can be too exhausting. Sometimes they just need a little break from it all. Fortunately for them, they have each other to keep them sane.These are recounts of moments during the Inquisition retold through the trusted companions of the Inquisitor.Also known as writing prompts.
Relationships: Blackwall/Josephine Montilyet, Female Inquisitor/Cullen Rutherford, Iron Bull/Dorian Pavus
Series: Thedas Tales: Inquisitor Trevelyan [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2060088
Kudos: 3





	1. Little Devil Cakes

**Author's Note:**

> OC Inquisitor Mage Trevelyan from the Cullen romance story, except this time, with her companions.
> 
> Prompt:
> 
> The Inquisitor got her hands on some of her favorite Orlesian pastry, and her companions don't have the same reaction. Especially Dorian.

Dorian stared at awe by the way the Inquisitor gobbles down the Orlesian cakes specifically ordered for her by the Ambassador. He wasn't the only one to be amazed as the Commander, Cullen, the Inquisitor's chosen lover stood alongside him at the Grand Hall.

"She is due for a stomach ache," The military adviser mumbled under his breath.

"I am waiting for the moment she tells us she quits on this addiction," Dorian replied as he crossed his arms and shaking his head. He thought the Inquisitor, who was born from a noble family and raised at one of the utmost strictest Circles, would know any better than to devour Orlesian cakes like they were grapes. 

"Although I've come to believe she's been deprived of such things since she did grow up a noble and at a Circle," He added, rubbing at his chin as he tried his best to decipher their amazing leader.

The same fearless leader who can wave a heavy staff around like it's no big deal.

Only Dorian and Cullen were sincerely concerned, not even the other two advisers cared much for it. Instead, they were enablers. 

Leliana had already walked by, giggling at the sight of a very happy Inquisitor, a very worried Commander, and a vocally concerned Tevinter. She barely said anything, trying hard to keep a straight face as she eyed them mischievously. When they asked her to tell the Inquisitor to stop it, she merely shook her head and walked away. 

Josephine was no help either. She was rhe one who sat the Inquisitor down and served the boxes of Orlesian desserts as a means to reward her for being able to come back to Skyhold. A reward. It offended Cullen for a moment, especially since the Inquisitor has mentioned she always looked forward to it and forgetting he was there. When they asked her to stop influencing the Inquisitor on her bad habit, she snorted and said, "She deserves a break." 

"Oh come on, boss! I told you to tell me when they got here!" A blur passed both Dorian and Cullen. The large horns were enough to reveal that the Iron Bull arrived at the Grand Hall with great haste, taking a seat right beside the Inquisitor and opening the other basket full of other Orlesian delicacy.

"You know I love these things! Perfect snack after one hell of a sparring match with Krem!" Iron Bull chomped on a pastry, filling his mouth as he said those words out loud, his voice echoing from one end to the other. 

The two men, chosen lovers of the other two at the table, exchanged disapproving glances. They both could hear laughter at the end of the long table, the two eating away like there was no one else there. Dorian had the urge to tell the Qunari to lower hos volume, but it was too late. 

"I see that the Inquisitor got her hands in some of the _little cakes_ \- as she would call it," Vivienne commented as she turned a page on one of the books she was reading, she was only there briefly, shaking her head in disappointment that their Inquisitor, both of noble birth and a leader, lacked some sort of proper etiquette. A sigh escaped her as she walked away, not wanting to have another look without feeling the urge to scold her.

Solas merely peeked from his atrium to see the commotion before shutting the door again.

"Woo! Cakies are here!" Sera cheered, arms tossed up in the air as she ran towards the duo. She took her seat rightfully next to the Inquisitor, opening the other basket right in front of her. A grin at her face as she added, "I bet these are better than those nasty cookies we had on the roof. Can't blame me. I forgot and they burned. Shitty fire pit!"

"Don't say that, I ate them all," Iron Bull replied.

"Pffft!" Sera cackled, nearly spitting all over the pastry baskets. "You were piss drunk on the floor. I know you were. And you wouldn't leave me alone until I gave you one." 

"But they were still edible." The Qunari pointed out in his matter-of-fact tone. 

"She hates you for saying that." Cole appeared right next to Iron Bull, poking at a cake crumb that fell from Sera's grasp. She glared at him, waving around a half-eaten pastry, flinging around the crumbs without care as she began to tell Cole to stop reading her. 

"It's creepy you know." She ended as she threw what was left of her pastry in her mouth. 

"Only if you let it creep you out. I kind of stopped caring because I will eventually say what I think, the kid just beats me to it every time," Iron Bull stated as he shrugged, and the Inquisitor shrugged with him to agree to his statement.

"Why are you two teaming up on me? You twats." 

"Blackwall, you owe me ten silvers. I told you the commotion was always about the Orlesian pastry that arrived today and the Inquisitor, she can never get enough of them!" Varric chuckled by the doorway from the entryway. Blackwall was next to him, letting out a surprised laugh as he replied, "Well, I'll be damned."

The sound of coins being exchanged was added more as Cassandra threw in a silver or two in defeat. She marched directly to the Inquisitor afterwards, her arms crossed and a frown on her face as she said, "You do know that these aren't just for you. There is plenty of people here who can eat all that. This won't be any good for when we leave tomorrow."

"Ah!" The Inquisitor stood up, gripping at her stomach as she desperately drank water. Iron Bull and Sera only laughed as the Inquisitor continued to moan at the ache coming from her belly. Cassandra made an angry noise, one she often did when things were going off track from how she planned it. 

"I told you so," Dorian huffed. "Go get your lady, Commander, before she gobbles down another one and makes it worse for herself.."

"Maker's breath." Cullen could only sigh as he made his way over to her, an arm wrapped around her as the other on his hip. The stern frown on his face as his lips began to make different shapes, clearly lecturing her about her addiction to the Orlesian cakes as he led her to her quarters.

"Little devil cakes, that's what they are," Dorian said under his breath as he too made his way to the two left behind. He leaned over, grabbing one that was dusted in sugar, but covered in berries. Glaring down he caught sight of a very eager Iron Bull, waiting for him to take that one bite.

The longer he waited, the more Iron Bull looked like he was ready to bite it for him.

Dorian exhaled before taking one tiny bite, barely a nip. The flavors exploded in his mouth. The moan escaped him as he felt all what the Inquisitor must have been feeling. Closing his eyes, he took another bite, slightly bigger than the last, and the crumbs hit him in every taste bud of his tongue. The berries coated and balanced the amount of sugar that was placed to create the dessert. 

Now he knew why she was addicted.

"Little devil cakes." 


	2. Paperwork

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt:
> 
> The Advisers and the Inquisitor split their paperwork after being away at Halamshiral, and they lighten up the mood at the expense of the Commander's own stack of work.

"Why is there so many?"

The Inquisitor arrived after one month being away, covered in bruises and bandages, to find the wooden table in Skyhold's war room stacked with a lot of neatly arranged paper. They were color-coded, iron pieces a top a few smaller stacks to assign them to the adviser who could deal with them. The rest, presumably were assigned to the Inquisitor. 

"They are a mixture of requisitions, recommendations, requests and reports," Josephine replied. "I have arranged them accordingly, trying my best to... Reduce your stack, but-"

"Thanks Josie," The Inquisitor sighed as she picked up the first piece atop the closest pile. Scanning through the ink, a frown slowly appearing as she turned quick towards Josephine, waving around the specific paper and asked, "Are you serious?"

"What is the matter?"

"This first request is a proposal from a Count in Orlais?"

Josephine cocked a brow towards the Inquisitor, trying to make sense of what she said, but the realization of what she placed on that pile were all proposals, she hid a chuckle behind her board. "Unfortunately, after your appearance at Halamshiral, you have become just as popular as the Commander."

"Is that pile behind it, topped with Cullen's iron pieces, his proposals too?"

The Ambassador shrugged with a mischievous smirk across her lips. The Inquisitor took it as a sign to grin back, rushing over to the other side of the table to said stack. Her fingers fiddled, hovering over the stack as she picked on from the middle, waving the paper straight and cleared her throat.

"Dearest Commander-" She began to read, skimming through the letter at first before continuing, "-It was an honor to meet you at the Winter Palace, your charm was as what they say it was. You have an appeal one cannot deny. Magnifying my emotions once you spoke to me. I wish we had danced. But we have plenty of time dance more once you accept my proposal. My Uncle has approved of my choice. Please let me know if you approve also. Sincerely yours-"

"What in Maker's name are you two doing?"

The Inquisitor jumped back a little, grasping at her chest from the fright as Josephine couldn't control her giggles. The Commander had walked in, a rather confused yet frowned expression on his face as he walked closer to the war table.

"Just... Uh- Reviewing some of the paperwork we needed to go through while we were away," The Inquisitor awkwardly grinned.

"Is that one of them?"

"Could be."

Leliana cleared her throat as she arrived elegantly to the other side of the table, right in front of her own pile, the iron piece erect perfectly centered. She crossed her arms behind her as she asked, "Who was that from?"

"An admirer-" The Inquisitor peeked at the end of the letter. "-Lord D-Dubois," She stuttered.

The women turned their attention straight towards the Commander. He became flustered, his cheeks began to tint red, his brows furrowed and his lips parted in shock. "Pardon me?" He nearly yelled.

Josephine caressed her chin, thinking, figuring who the person of note could be. She gasped not a second later, the light bulb moment as she realized who the noble could be. She waved her finger about, frantically trying to put words together as she asked, "Wasn't Lord Dubois the one who pinched your bottom?"

The Inquisitor joined in the realization, her hands clapped together as a giggle escaped her. "Oh yes! The one who hadn't left your side all evening!" She added her own recollection.

"How amusing. I would have thought the noble with the yellow coat would be the first to send their proposal." Leliana with a small smirk gave her own five coins to the conversation.

"I think he did," Josephine recalled as she walked to the proposal stack and flipped theough a couple of stacks, nearing the middle, before she slipped a letter out like magic.

"I thought we all agreed to decline all proposals sent to me?" Cullen huffed, crossing his arms as he tried to keep a cool face, but everyone else knew that he was getting more and more flustered.

"Of course, but the amount I received needed to be arranged first. The formal rejections come afterwards," Josephine teasingly replied, patting the pile that were all addressed to him. She then pat the one opposite of his, the one right in front of him, which was a much taller stack. "The Inquisitor has just as much also."

"The Inquisitor..." He frowned, stammering words out as he wasn't exactly sure how to react. He and said Inquisitor started becoming a bit more intimate more recently, without informing the anyone else as that matter was private. So his reaction relied heavily on exposing their relationship or not.

He saw her, narrow eyed as she waited too eagerly for a response.

It was then he chose not to expose them.

"I'm sure the Inquisitor doesn't mind your popularity with the Orlesian noble admirers as much as you do with hers. Right, Commander?" Leliana poked, her words were filled with some sort of implication that she knew something with the sly glance his way.

"W-What?" Cullen, caught off guard, took a step back and tried desperately not to show too much emotion.

"Oh, certainly hope you do not mind the attention she has suddenly been receiving. I'm sure it did not waver from your followers," Josephine added as she and the Inquisitor began to giggle amongst themselves.

"I'm sure Lord Dubois has proposed to me," Their fearless leader joined in the teasing.

Although, she may have spoken too soon.

Cullen, rather hurt that his beloved chose to side with the other advisers, randomly reached for a piece of paper from her own stack. Skimming through the letter, he realized he was more jealous than he should admit as his act of getting back at her backfired. Instead, he frowned and crumpled the paper, tucking into his pocket as he said in frustration - "Let's get back to work. We have too much paperwork to get through."

The three exchanged looks, noticing they've poked far enough. Josephine was the first to move, she picked up the pile that was allocated to her and bid farewell. Leliana followed not long after, leaving only Cullen and the Inquisitor.

"I have too much to take it to my quarters, so I'll send a someone to collect the rest, but-" She wandered in his direction, going up to her toes and pecked him lightly on his cheek. His heart couldn't contain the flutter. She gave him a very big grin, slipping the letter from Lord Dubois into his hands as she picked up one of the four stacks of paper allocated to her.

"-I'll take these first." The Inquisitor ended as she walked out of the war room without another word.

The Commander sighed, exhaling very heavily with his hands flat on his face as he cussed under his breath. The amount of embarrassment and awkwardness and internal debate to expose his jealousy in front of the other advisers were released in a long groan, he couldn't believe he fell for their trap. Josephine and Leliana were ones to poke fun at him, to help him lighten up during tense times, but with the Inquisitor joining in, it was a different feeling.

He. Well. He enjoyed it.

"All this teasing just to collect my own paperwork," Cullen scoffed as he picked up his one and only pile, storming out without another word. 


	3. Keg

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt:
> 
> Cassandra walks in on another drunken night at the tavern with a very intoxicated Inquisitor accompanied by three others.

"A whole keg? Really? Who allowed that?" 

"The Inquisitor, Seeker." 

Cassandra grunted in disbelief as the bartender told her how much the Inquisitor, the Iron Bull, Blackwall and Sera had drank that evening. She was by her quarters when she heard a ruckus, just a day after she returned to Skyhold. Her arms crossed in front of her chest, huffing out air through her flared nose as a furrowed brow indicated her dissatisfaction of the sight.

The Inquisitor sat next to Sera, both hovering over the wooden table of the tavern. Iron Bull desperately trying to sip at the last drops that clung on tight at the bottom of his mug. Blackwall struggling to wobble out through the door, hitting against the wooden poles that held the tavern together.

"This is not like you, Inquisitor," Cassandea began to scold. "What... Or who could have influenced you to do such a thing?"

She watched the Inquistor's hand raise, beckoning towards the Qunari, then towards the Elf in front of her - all while keeping the weight of her heavy head against the table.

"I've called upon your significant others, until then- _You_!" The Seeker called at the soldier walking by. "Please help Sera to her room."

The soldier looked down briefly at the cussing Elf then back at Cassandra, hoping she would change her mind, but she didn't budge. The poor lad gulped, swallowing hard as he approached the hostile Elf that everyone in the tavern grew to know all too well. He tapped at first, calling for some response. 

Nothing, just gibberish.

He tapped once more.

Still nothing.

"Will you hurry!" Cassandra snapped.

He shivered and carefully moved Sera's arm up and around his shoulder, her weight slightly heavier than he thought as he had to tug a few times to get her up to her feet. She was still mumbling some more gibberish as she wobbled alongside the poor lad, her final words to the Inquisitor - "This shat show was the best!"

"Yeah!" Iron Bull egged her on as the soldier struggled to even get her on the stairs.

"You know that the Inquisitor will be suffering for this tomorrow. Leliana, Josephine and Cullen-" Cassandra sighed. "-Cullen would be most disappointed."

"He knew what he signed up to," The Inquisitor slurred as she pushed herself to her feet, leaning against the wall as a way for balance as she face the Seeker. Her eyelids were drooped halfway, barely catching glimpse of her hazel eyes, and her cheeks were flushed in a deep red.

"Cullen knows that Bull, Blackwall, and occasionally, Sera and I come here on a Friday that we are free to do this. It's been a team bonding experience. Dorian would come only to tell us that we're making a fool of ourselves." She explained, flailing her hands about as a means to emphasize her words.

"Dorian?" Bull's ears twitched. "Where is that Vinter? I missed him while he was gone."

Cassandra was caught off guard with the reaction from the Qunari. The same fearless Qunari, who swung his two-handed axe around hoardes off foes when the Inquisitor was in danger, had another side to him when it came to the Tevinter mage. Their relations weren't so secret because of him.

"His soft skin always felt so nice to touch everytime we-"

"-Maker! Enough!" Cassandra stopped him before he could go into any more detail.

"What in-" Dorian walked in just in time. "Why am I not surprised to see this lot at it again after I saw the shipment come in?" He scoffed as he walked over the Iron Bull, poking at him as soon as their distance closed. 

"Kadan!" The Qunari grinned from ear to ear. "Is it time to go upstairs?" 

"Kaffas! This does not surprise me at all. You smell worse than ever," He complained, wrinkling his nose as he sniffed at the air. Iron Bull didn't wait a moment longer and stood up, towering over his beau, before rushing towards the stairs ahead of him in excitement - sort of like a child.

"What of the Inquisitor then? I assume that Cullen has been called?" Dorian questioned Cassandra as he beckoned to the Inquisitor with his pursed and pouted lips. The Seeker only nodded in response, to which he replied, "I can only imagine what that man says."

"Maker's mercy!"

"Ha! I spoke to soon," Dorian chuckled before wandering up the stairs to follow after his lover.

Cassandra turned to the door and saw the very disapproving Commander, and behind him the Ambassador, who did her best to hide her giggle as she approached Blackwall by the door. There were small giggles behind Cullen as the two conversed in mere whispers.

"This is why we shouldn't resupply the stock in the tavern when the Inquisitor is around," Cassandra sighed. "I told you that."

"Yes, well-"

"-The Inquisitor has some amazing sixth sense for these things and always arrives on the same day," Josephine spoke up.

Cullen walked passed Cassandra and picked the Inquisitor up from her feet, craddling her in his arms as she shuffled for comfort. Her head lay against his mantle, curling up closer against his armor as she mumbled, "You are always so comfy, Cully Wully."

The Commander cleared his throat, trying hard to pretend he hadn't heard what she said to him, which he knew was heard by Cassandra, who stood only a couple of steps away from him.

"I will take her, Cassandra. Thank you," He said without a stutter. Something he practiced when playing coy of his relationship with the Inquisitor."

"Yes. Of course."

The Inquisitor and Blackwall left together with their partners. Cassandra could only groan in disgust as she knew all too well that in the next month, it _will_ happen again.

"No more kegs to be served to the Inquisitor!" She ordered the bartender, Cabot.

He only shrugged. "I can't guarantee."

Of course he couldn't. The Inquisitor was still his boss.

"Ngghhh." A disgusted noise escaped Cassandra as she marched out in a huff. 

**Author's Note:**

> This is just me having random thoughts in the middle of the night, writing them down lol. I don't know how often I will update, because these ideas come and go while I'm writing the other story.
> 
> Happy to take suggestions, won't guarantee I'll get to them ^^"


End file.
